I must’ve missed the memo. There has to be one going around. Apparently, judging by all the breathless enthusiasm in the air, it says you have to pimp Alabama quarterback AJ McCarron for the Heisman Trophy. Or else.

Everyone from SEC on CBS analyst Gary Danielson to Mr. College Football, Tony Barnhart, is following those marching orders these days, barking out compliments.

He’s 34-2 as a starter!

He's thrown for more yards than any quarterback in Alabama history!

Nick Saban called him “probably the most underrated player in college football!”

Saban jumped into his arms after the LSU victory like a puppy!

“We’ve got to give this guy some love for the Heisman,” Barnhart said on the "Tim Brando Show."

Some? OK, nice, but how much is enough, and how much is too much? And isn't McCarron's legacy so much bigger than an individual honor?

The Heisman Trophy is supposed to go to the most outstanding player in college football each season. As good as he is, as much as he’s done for as long as he’s done it, that’s not McCarron. He’s not terribly far away from that distinction. He’s just not quite there.

That’s not a dig or a slight, but sadly, this Heisman business has become an overly simplistic, needlessly combative for-him or against-him referendum.

McCarron may be the best player on the best team in college football, although you also could make a strong case for that honor for the quarterback of the Alabama defense, C.J. Mosley.

McCarron probably will go down as the best quarterback in Alabama history, based on his accomplishments in Tuscaloosa, which is a tremendous compliment when you consider that roster includes the likes of Joe Namath and Kenny Stabler.

But the Heisman wasn’t created to recognize McCarron’s most amazing achievements. It was created to honor the best player in college football each season. Period.

This season, in that race, as good as he’s been, as perfect as he is for his team, as much as he’s come to resemble his head coach in unsurpassed intensity, McCarron comes up just short.

It’ll sound unintentionally harsh, but the “AJ for Heisman” hype has grown so thick it has to be said. It’s hard for McCarron to be the best player in college football when he’s not the best player at his position in his own division.

By any objective measure, Johnny Manziel owns that distinction. Still.

The Texas A&M quarterback has better numbers after 10 games this year than he did last year when he deservedly became the first redshirt freshman to win the Heisman. He also has better numbers than McCarron and just about every other quarterback in the college game despite wearing the biggest target and carrying the burden of having to be great every week just to give his defensively challenged team a chance.

Some relevant examples:

Manziel is third in the country in passing efficiency. McCarron is eighth.

Manziel is second in the country in total offense. McCarron is No. 61.

Saban’s right when he says it’s not all about stats, but numbers can’t be ignored when it comes to individual awards.

Of course, no one beats McCarron when it comes to the most important stat - victories - and Alabama did defeat Texas A&M in September. But that’s a team stat, and player for player, up and down the roster, there’s a definite gap between McCarron’s team and Manziel’s. It’s a tribute to Johnny Football that the 49-42 final margin wasn’t wider.

Manziel has to put up monster numbers to give Texas A&M a chance, and he’s done that in every game this year, including the two close losses to unbeaten Alabama and one-loss Auburn. McCarron’s genius is providing consistent leadership and production when Alabama isn’t challenged and rising to meet the moment on the rare occasions when it is.

That’s who AJ McCarron really is, and it doesn't take hype to recognize it. He's a leader, a winner and a champion. In his world and to his credit, multiple crystal footballs outweigh a single bronze statue.